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THE

EPISTLE

OF

SAINT PAUL

TO THE

PHILIPPIANS.

CHAP. I.

PAUL and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the holy through Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, and to 2 the bishops and deacons: favour be to you, and peace,

from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you; 4 always, in every supplication of mine for you all, making 5 my supplication with joy, for your kind contribution to the 6 gospelt, from its first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he, who hath begun a good work in you, will finish it until the day of Jesus Christ: as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, both in my bonds, and in defence of myself, and my confirmation of the gospel, even all of you as being joint-contributors to the gift which I 8 have received §. For God is my witness, how greatly I

my

* "To all that are holy by means of admission into the Christian covenant.” See 1 Cor. i. 2. Newcome.

+ partaking of the gospel, N. See Wakefield.

Or, that each of you who hath begun a good work will go on, &c. Wakefield. § Compare ch. ii. 25-30; ch. iv. 10—18. See Paley, Hor. Paul. p. 256. “Because I have you in my heart, and because both in my bonds, and in my defence of myself, and my confirmation of the gospel, I have you all joint-partakers of the favour bestowed on me." N. Dr. Paley observes that the sense of joint-contributers was first given by Mr. Peirce, and he believes that this exposition is now generally as

sented to.

long after you all with the tender affection* of Jesus 9 Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound still 10 more and more in knowledge, and in all judgement, to

the end that ye may discern the things which are excellent; and I pray that ye may be sincere, and without 11 offence, till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruit of righteousness which is by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

12

Now I wish you to understand, brethren, that the things concerning me have fallen out rather to the further13 ance of the gospel; so that my bonds are well-known to be for the sake of Christ in all the palace, and in all 14 other places; and that many of the brethren in the Lord,

growing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to 15 speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ

even through envy and strife; and some also through 16 good-will. Those who preach him from love, preach him knowing that I am appointed for the defence of the 17 gospel: but those who preach from contention, preach

Christ not sincerely, thinking to add affliction to my 18 bonds. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whe

ther in pretence or in truth, Christ is preached; and 19 herein I do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. For I know

that this will end in my deliverance through your prayer, 20 and through the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ; according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall be put to shame in nothing; but that, with all freedom of speech in me, Christ, as always, so now also, will be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. 21 For as concerning me, to live is Christ, and to die is

*Gr. bowels, N. m.

+ See Hallet, vol. i. p. 68. The Primate's version is, "in all judgement, that ye may discern the things that are excellent, so as to be sincere." The margin of the public version reads, that ye may try things that differ."

+ "The transposition and reading of these verses rest on very good external authority." Newcome.

22 gain*. But if it be given me to live in the flesh, this

preaching of Christ is the fruit of my labour: yet what I 23 should choose I know not: but I am in a strait between

the two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; 24 for this would be very far better: nevertheless to remain 25 still in the flesh is more needful for you. And, confident of this, I know that I shall remain, and shall even remain with you all, for your furtherance and joy in the 26 faith that your glorying in Christ Jesus may abound through me, by my presence with you again.

27

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ that, whether I come and see you, or be absent, I may learn concerning you that ye stand firmly in one spirit, striving together with one mind for the belief of 28 the gospel and in nothing terrified by those who oppose it which is to them a declaration of destruction §, but 29 to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it hath been graciously given, as concerning Christ, not 30 only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him; hav ing the same contest which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. I

CH. II. If therefore there be any comfort ** in Christ, if any

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*The apostle probably thought that the advent of Christ to raise the dead was very near. See 1 Thess. iv. 13-18, and therefore judged that a quiet rest in the grave till that event, would be to himself preferable to a life of suffering and persecution: though he was content to continue in his present suffering state for the benefit of the church. At any rate he could not mean to express an expectation of an intermediate state of enjoyment between death and the resurrection: for he hints st no such topic of consolation to the bereaved Thessalonians in the passage above cited. And if he had expected that a state of felicity would have immediately succeeded the dissolution of the body, it would have been impossible for him to have declared to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. xv. 17, 18, that if the dead rise not, their faith would be vain, and that all who had fallen asleep in Christ were perished.

Or, conduct yourselves worthily of, &c. Wakefield.

§ a proof of destruction, N. See Theol. Rep. vol. iv. p. 241.

your adversaries: N.

|| Or, to be for Christ, i. e. to be devoted to him. Hallet, vol. i. p. 69.

Some think that ver. 30 is misplaced, and that it ought to be inserted immediately

after ver. 27. See Theol. Rep. vol. iv. p. 241.

** Cr, encouragement, Wakefield.

consolation from love, if any mutual affection*, if any 2 bowels and mercies; fill up my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, joined together in 3 soul, of one mind: doing nothing through contention, or vain-glory; but in humility of mind esteeming others 4 better than yourselves: not regarding every man his own things only, but every man the things of others also 5 [For] let this mind be in you which was in Christ Je6 sus also who, being in the form of God †, did not 7 eagerly grasp at the resemblance to God: but divested

himself of it §, and took on him the form of a servant, 8 and was made in the likeness of men ; and, when found in fashion as a man I, humbled himself, and became obe9 dient to death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God on his part hath very highly exalted him, and of his favour rewarded him with ** that name which is above 10 every name: that int† the name of Jesus every knee should

*partaking of the spirit, N. spiritual union, Wakefield.

+"being invested with extraordinary divine powers." Lindsey's Second Address,

p. 288.

did not esteem it a prey to be like God. N. The meaning is, he did not make an ostentatious display of his miraculous powers. Or, if it should be translated with the public version, he thought it not robbery to be as God,' the sense would be, he did not regard it as an act of injustice to exert upon proper occasions his miraculous powers.

§ made himself of none account, N. Not that our Lord absolutely relinquished his
miraculous powers, but he submitted to indignity and crucifixion, as though he were
destitute of power to help himself. See 2 Cor. viii. 9. Being rich, he led a life of
poverty. That our Lord's sufferings were perfectly voluntary, and that it was at all
times in his power to have delivered himself, see John, x. 18; Matth. xxvi. 53.
of common and ordinary mortals. See Mr. Lindsey, ibid. Christ invested with
miraculous powers was in the form of God; but declining to use them for his own
personal advantage, he appeared like any other frail and weak mortal. So Judges xvi. 7.
Samson says, "If they bind me I shall be weak, and be as a man,' i. e. as our translators
See also ver. 11. 17.
very properly supply the word, as another man.

¶ Or, "appearing only as an ordinary mortal." Mr. Lindsey,
** and bestowed on him, N.

+ Ev To ovoμat, at the name, Newcome. But in his note he cites Archbishop Secker's authority for in the name, i. e. all worship shall be offered to the Supreme Being according to the precept and under the authority of Christ. Dr. Jebb ren 'ers the preposition, "to the name of Jesus; i. e. in acknowledgment of his religion every creature shall bend. For things above the earth, below the earth, &c. mean only that all human creatures shall acknowledge his rel gion." See Dr. Jebb's note apud Lindsey, ibid. p. 291.

bow, of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the 11 earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in mine absence, work out your own salvation with fear and 13 trembling. For it is God that worketh in you both to 14 will and to do, of his good pleasure. Do all things with 15 out murmurings and disputings; that ye may be blameless and harmless, unreproveable children of God, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom 16 do ye shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life; that I may glory in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, nor laboured in vain.

17

Yea, if I be even poured out upon the sacrifice and public offering of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you 18 all and in the same manner do ye also joy, and rejoice 19 with me. But I trust in the Lord Jesus, to send Timothy

shortly unto you, that I may be of good comfort also 20 when I know your affairs. For I have no man like

minded with him, who will sincerely care for your affairs. 21 For all seek their own things, not the things of Christ 22 Jesus. But ye know the proof of him; that, as a child

scrveth a father, he hath served with me as to the gospel. 23 I hope therefore to send him forthwith, as soon as I shall 24 see how the things concerning me will end. But I trust 25 in the Lord, that I myself also shall come shortly. Yet

I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow-labourer and fellow-soldier, and your 26 messenger and minister to my wants. For he greatly longed after you all, and was full of anguish, because 27 ye had heard that he had been sick. For indeed he was

sick near death: but God had pity on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon 28 sorrow. I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I 29 may be the less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the

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